Farmer Friday: Fennel and Celery Salad

So this Farmer Friday is actually not from my bag, but from my friends. :) She was wondering what to do with her fennel bulbs and I remembered this great recipe that I use every spring. I love the liquorice taste of fennel with the balance of lemon. Super tasty and fresh. I actually like to put this on top of a bed of arugula and top it with my favorite dressing. 

Fennel and Celery Salad

Ingredients:

2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed, some fronds reserved

3 celery ribs, trimmed

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, more to taste

Salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, more to taste

Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese.

Cut fennel bulbs in quarters lengthwise, discarding outer layer if it is exceedingly tough. Use a mandoline to slice quarters thinly; slice celery equally thin. Put sliced fennel and celery into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently to combine. Top with lots of freshly shaved Parmesan and chopped fennel fronds if you like.

Most entertaining blog... ever.

Thug kitchen. Hilarious. Informative. My kinda blog. Check it.

Farmer Friday: Paleo Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

I've gotten the most delicious strawberries in my produce box the last few weeks and was lucky enough to score some stalks of rhubarb as well last week! My Dad's favorite is a strawberry rhubarb pie so I thought I'd make us a paleo crumble instead. (Apologies to my Dad for telling him I made him a crumble and then eating the whole thing before he got to have any. Whoops!) Either way, it was pretty dang good.

 Ingredients: (topping)

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 Tbsp raw honey
1 cup almond meal
1 cup shredded coconut
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp of coconut sugar
1 cup of slivered almonds

In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients using your fingers squish together into clumps and set aside.

(filling)
3-4 cups of rhubarb, rough ends trimmed, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups ripe strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon

 

Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Pour into a 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the crumble over the fruit and bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the crumble is golden brown. Remove from the over and allow to rest for a least 10 minutes before serving.

The original recipe calls for cornstarch, which would make the fruit a bit thicker and hold together well, but in an effort to keep the recipe simple and pure, I omitted it. All in all, this turned out to be different in texture then most crumbles but a delicious paleo alternative to the spring dessert. Enjoy!

Got raw milk?

“Milk does the body good”... but only if it has the same beneficial bacteria as breast milk. Not willing to hook up to the teat for the best nutrition? You don't have to. Milk does the body good--if it’s raw (unpasteurized).

Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pastures raw milk dairy in California, lectured at the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation recently. Mark is one of the largest organic, raw dairy producers, is pre-med trained, an educator for various health departments, and has lectured at Stanford Medical School, Rutgers and several other institutions. He educates farmers, consumers, legislators and government officials about the safety and nutritional benefits of raw dairy products.

I just watched this video and, although long (1:32), it was incredibly informative and inspiring. If you don't know much about raw milk, I would recommend watching any of the videos on this topic from the Price Pottenger Nutritional Foundation.

Click here to watch the video.

A myth explained...

Why eat a traditional or paleo diet if people only lived until about 40 back in those days?

It may surprise you, but people who lived past the dangers of childhood (accidents, infectious disease) lived longer than we do now...

Check it:
http://grannysvitalvittles.com/how-long-did-people-live-100-years-ago/

Guest Post - Butter Me Up

My dear friend (who is also my husband's cousin) has a great blog featuring indulgent desserts and wonderful recipes and lucky for me she is today's guest spot! Dessert is a super treat for me, so when I go for it, it needs to be good. I can always trust that Katie gives the good. Besides being dang funny, she is a wonderful baker and I got crazy excited when she mentioned this Primal Fudge. I'm on my way to the store now to get the ingredients... can't wait to get Buttered Up! 

Katie and her boys...

PRIMAL FUDGE

A few weeks ago I saw a post on Pinterest for Primal fudge - which basically means that if you are following a Paleo diet, you can eat this chocolate crack. It has no dairy, no refined sweeteners, and the fat source is coconut oil and nut butter, which are overall healthier for you than the usual butter/whipping cream combo found in traditional fudge. It is super simple to put together. The hardest part is waiting the 10 minutes for them to harden in the freezer. As a side note, these are best eaten right out of the freezer or refrigerator, as they tend to melt fairly quickly. Not great for traveling but who needs to travel with fudge??

PRIMAL FUDGE

1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup smooth nut butter of choice (I used a peanut/almond butter combo-salted)
1/2 cup good quality cocoa powder (I love Trader Joe's brand)
1/4-1/3 cup honey (agave also works)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Over low heat, melt the coconut oil. Add the nut butter, vanilla, and honey. Whisk vigorously until combined. Finish by adding the cocoa powder and beating well. Pour into paper cupcake liners and freeze for at least 10 minutes before devouring. Store in airtight container in freezer or fridge.

Alternatively, you can melt coconut oil and blend all ingredients in your VitaMix or Cuisinart.

You can see more of Katie's decadent recipes at www.buttermeupbaker.blogspot.com

Mini-Frittata Muffins

Life get busier and busier doesn't it? I'm always looking for simple, on the go, real food. Lately, I've been doing all kindas of versions of this muffin style, egg frittata, but my favorite is from Nom Nom Paleo. I'll take these to go on a busy morning and eat (scarf) them in the car. They are delish.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons fat (coconut oil, ghee, etc.)
½ medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ pound of cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
½ pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
8 large eggs
¼ cup coconut milk (the fatty stuff at the top of the can works best)
2 tablespoons of coconut flour
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
5 ounces of Prosciutto di Parma
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
A regular 12 cup muffin tin

Preheat oven to 375°F and prep veggies. Heat half the coconut oil over medium heat in a large cast iron skillet and sautéed the onions until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cooked them until the mushroom moisture had evaporated. Seasoned the filling with salt and pepper and spoon it on a plate to cool to room temperature. For the batter, beat the eggs in a large bowl with coconut milk, coconut flour, salt, and pepper until well-mixed. Then, add the sautéed the mushrooms and spinach and stir to combine. Brush the remainder of the melted coconut oil onto the muffin tin and line each cup with prosciutto, taking care to cover the bottom and sides completely. Spoon in the frittata batter and topped each muffin with some halved cherry tomatoes. Put the muffins in the oven for about 20 minutes and rotate the pan in the oven halfway through. I let the muffins cool in the pan for a couple minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

 Ermahgerd, they are so good!